Thursday, January 1, 2015

Thinking about 2015

I am totally down with the custom of setting up goals on January 1st. If nothing else, it puts the pressure on me to think about how my last year went, and how I want my next year to go. As I said in my last post, this last year was pretty fantastic. It will take a lot of work to make this one just as good, but I really think I might be up to the task.

I feel like I'm showing you guys a pretty raw piece of myself here. These goals are very dear to my heart this year, and kinda scary. But that's what goals are all about, right? They have to be something you could possibly fail, or they wouldn't be worth doing in the first place.

So here are my goals for 2015:

Sell things.
Specifically art things. From my shop, from commissions, whatever. I've reached a skill level where I'm comfortable asking people for a (moderate) payment for my work. Going along with this, my next goal is...

Don't be afraid to self promote.
While I'm constantly working on my blog or my art, and I'm proud of the things I produce, I often have a hard time sharing what I've made. I want to break down a few barriers this year, and work on networking, social medias, and all around self promotion.

Travel.
This is a big deal for me this year. I've always dreamed of traveling a whole bunch, but I never felt like it was the right time. I'm more comfortable in my situation than I've ever been, and I'm ready to go on many adventures... or maybe just one grand one!

Make more photo collections.
I recently completed my very first scrapbook-like-thing, and I loved the process. I kept it simple and colorful, and I'm totally ready to complete a few more of the same format. I want to go into this year with that goal in mind, so I can make sure to take pictures of all of the things I love in my life. (Not just my cats.)

Do housework for at least 15 minutes a day.
Okay, to a lot of people this is going to seem like a ridiculously small amount. I realize there will be days where I spend hours on laundry, doing the dishes, or cleaning the kitchen. But I have a habit of letting things pile up, so I'm going to try to do a little every day so it won't get out of hand.

Post regularly // get regular blog visitors.
This seems like it directly contradicts with the "I'll post whenever I want" statement I made during the summer, but I promise it doesn't. While I was away, I felt as if there was a gap in my hobby-brain-part. So, for now, "whenever I want" will probably be more frequent. The second part of this goal will hopefully just come naturally, with the self promotion and the regular posting and such. We'll see!

Clean up computer and back up files.
Recently I started going through all of my bookmarks and transferring them to pinterest, and it was so wonderful to get rid of some of the clutter on my computer. I want to keep going, deleting stuff I don't want, and backing everything up, which is something I forget to do. (oops!)

Have a "cute" yard sale.
I've always dreamed of having a little adorable yard sale. With lemonade, and bunting, and all sorts of other cute details. Like my own little shop, even if it's only a few days. It sounds more like a idealized dream and less like a reality, but at least now I have a yard, and things to sell. Step one and two, done!

Get active hobbies.
And here it is, the ever-present fitness goal. For the past few months, I've been getting more into yoga, and I'm really enjoying it. I'd love to register for a class, take more walks, or go rock climbing. Anything to get me out of my seat!

Finish projects.
My house is littered with half-finished projects. I want to focus some of my energy on breathing life into old projects before starting on new ones. That being said, I also want to re-evaluate my projects to make sure they're worth keeping.

Be excited about life!
Over-use exclamation marks in day to day conversations! Get out of bed in the morning excited for the day that lies ahead! Laugh a lot! I want to find one thing that I am doing every day that makes me super happy, even if it's just watching my favorite anime, or cuddling with my cats.

So that's it! My list of goals. Obviously it will change shape and shrink and grow as the year goes on, but for now I'm pretty happy about the ideas in this list.

Here's a look at last years goals!Get married.Check! He said I do, I said I do, and it was the best. Seriously. The. Best. You'll see for yourself, soon!Draw every day.Check! The structure of the goal deteriorated in the second month, but I still drew a LOT this year, and I can definitely see improvements in my work. I call that a win!Pay more attention to my health.Not check. My health didn't get any worse, but it didn't really get any better either. There's always next (this?) year!Sell some art.CHECK! I sold a piece at a gallery, and listed some stuff on my Etsy!Take more pictures of important things.Check, but I might have cheated with having a wedding and all. Haha!Get some fresh flowers.
Not check. Sad, huh? Maybe this year.Get one BIG project done.Check. Because I'm totally counting my wedding as a MAJOR project.Eat more Mexican food.Check. Still because... yum.Finish some video games.Not check. I can't help it, apparently I'm just not into games you can finish.Laugh more.Super check. I've laughed a lot this year, and I love it.